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Smoke Devils (Confessions of a Wasteland Pony)
The Smoke Devils are a raider gang which formed in the Valley of Fire in the years after The Great War. They appear in the seventh episode of the audio drama series Confessions of a Wasteland Pony. History & The Razorwings When The Bombs Fell The Smoke Devils found their origins in the immediate fallout after the bombs fell. The global cataclysm set off a number of other natural disasters, such as earthquakes, which set off the volcanic mountain range known as the Golden Stone Caldera. Ironically, the particulate-heavy volcanic air helped offset the particles of balefire radiation filling the rest of the world. Because of this the general radioactivity of the region is less than average for the Equestrian Wasteland. While many normal communities formed from the ashes, a collection of unbalanced individuals formed a raider clan in the mountains above the prosperous and fertile Valley of Fire. Travelers which passed through the area frequently fell victim to the raids. Eventually, word got around and the trading route was mostly ignored by regular caravans. After that the valley was fully settled as the Smoke Devils' territory and they would launch raids out of the east or west mouth of the valley. Their settlement would be challenged decades later by a raider gang made up of griffons, the Razorwings. While repelled at first, the Razorwings were determined to establish themselves in the valley for reasons unknown to the Smoke Devils. They began setting up camps in the higher altitudes of the mountains, out of reach of the Smoke Devils (who were mostly unicorns and earth ponies). The conflict turned into a full blown turf war for control of the Valley of Fire. The Smoke Devils had been there first, and heavily formed their identities around the volcanoes. The Razorwings came off as more opportunistic. The Valley of Fire was just a staging location for them in their other ventures. Under The Arrow While their war would go on for many years, both sides would be brought to heel when the Great Arrow raider clan also entered the region. The innumerable Great Arrows swarmed over the eastern side of the valley, overwhelming both factions. They both were poised to be wiped out, were it not for a surprising truce offered by the Great Arrows. They were simple terms, the Arrows wanted dominant control of the valley, and the other two clans could continue living within it as tenants, so to speak. There would also be new rules that the valley would be a neutral zone, no fighting between the gangs would be permitted. Outside of the valley, it would be fair game. The Smoke Devils were first to agree, understanding the threat, and not wanting to surrender their home completely. Once the Razorwings submitted as well, a new society of sorts was formed... under the Great Arrows' unsettling dominion. While outright warfare had been quelled, the Smoke Devils and Razorwings still hated each other, and would often descend into violence when outside of the boundaries of the neutral zone. One Smoke Devil named Ridgeback would become the most noteworthy among them when she gained special audience with Governor Farthing. He was the administrator of the Great Arrows of that region, and de facto ruler of the Valley of Fire. Ridgeback would go on to do much paid mercenary work for him, reaping a small fortune. One of the many costs of her work, was estrangement. The Smoke Devils no longer considered her "one of them," she had done work for too many other groups, including the Razorwings. She was seen as a rogue or as a Great Arrow for all practical purposes. Rumor would later spread that she had been killed on a Great Arrow mission far away from the valley. Despite distancing themselves from her, the news of her death had angered quite a few Smoke Devils. The leaders had to quell the anger among their ranks. There was nothing they could do anyway. The Great Arrows were still in charge and could kill or capture them whenever they wanted. Quotes * "The Smoke Devils were nice enough though, especially after I started the fire for us. It was a weird sort of camaraderie… They had really made the Golden Stone Caldera part of their identity, their leader in our group even had a flamethrower battle saddle. Being a dragon, a living creature of fire, they almost thought of me like a peer. Plus, as they would explain to me over the trip… They really fuckin’ hate the Razorwings. They were glad to not have one tagging along with the group anymore." - Diamondback (describing working with the Smoke Devils) Behind The Scenes * The Smoke Devils and Razorwings as battling raider factions was inspired by the Nuka-World DLC story from Fallout 4. Category:EAST Corp Productions Category:Confessions of a Wasteland Pony Category:Factions (Confessions of a Wasteland Pony)